Study notes

Jeremiah 34

Introducing JeremiahWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

34:1–7

The Lord encouraged Zedekiah, even though he was a weak and timid leader. The message includes both judgment and a promise.

34:1–7

This section starts with the prediction of Jerusalem's fall and Zedekiah's capture (Jeremiah 34:1–7). The prediction comes true toward the end (Jeremiah 39:1–10). These messages emphasize that the old covenant was broken beyond repair. This was especially true for the kings descended from David, who should have been most dedicated to upholding it.

34:1–45:5 Section

These chapters are a collection of stories from Jeremiah’s life. They include events from Jehoiakim’s rule through the time after Jerusalem was destroyed.

These stories show something about the people and leaders of the southern kingdom. They didn’t pay any attention to what the Lord had said through Jeremiah. This was true before the Babylonian government took control of the southern kingdom and after.

The story about Rekab’s family line gave an example of faithfully obeying. Rekab’s family line faithfully obeyed the instructions of Rekab’s son Jehonadab. God used their ability to obey as an example. Compared to Rekab’s family, it was clear that God’s people refused to obey him.

Another example of this was what King Jehoiakim did after hearing God’s messages. Baruch was a secretary. He wrote down on scrolls the messages that Jeremiah had spoken for many years. Jehoiakim burnt the scrolls and tried to arrest Jeremiah and Baruch. Baruch wrote them down again with even more messages.

Later, other officials arrested Jeremiah. Some tried to kill him so that he would stop speaking God’s messages. King Zedekiah asked Jeremiah for advice. He asked Jeremiah to pray for him. Jeremiah gave him instructions about being humble and serving the king of Babylon. But Zedekiah and his officials didn’t follow those instructions. Nor did they obey the instructions in the Law of Moses about slaves and servants. They had promised to free their slaves but then changed their mind.

Because of these things, God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to fully destroy Jerusalem. The Babylonians treated Jeremiah well and set him free. Gedaliah was a leader who paid attention to God’s messages. He understood that the southern kingdom was supposed to serve Babylon. As governor of Judah that is what he led the people to do. But an officer from David’s family line killed Gedaliah. Then a large group of those left in the southern kingdom ran away to Egypt. They thought that they would be safe from Babylon’s armies there.

Jeremiah warned them not to do this. But this group forced Jeremiah and Baruch to go with them to Egypt. In Egypt this group of Jews worshipped a false god called the Queen of Heaven. They believed that Jerusalem had been destroyed because for a time they had stopped worshipping her. This showed that they hadn’t listened to Jeremiah or understood God’s messages at all. God had promised that Baruch wouldn’t be killed when trouble came to Jerusalem. It isn’t known what happened to Jeremiah and Baruch in Egypt.

34:2

Regardless of King Zedekiah's actions, Jerusalem would fall. The Lord would not save the city.

34:4–5

Although the Babylonians would defeat Judah, the Lord promised to protect Zedekiah during the war. The king would die peacefully and receive honors from the siege survivors. However, see Jeremiah 39:5–7 for a description of Zedekiah being captured, tortured, and then taken to Babylon.

34:6–7

King Rehoboam transformed Lachish and Azekah into forts (2 Chronicles 11:5–10). These towns, on low hills southwest of Jerusalem, protected important roads from the coastal highway into Judah's heartland. Archaeologists found military messages on pottery pieces in Lachish's gateway. These messages reported the Babylonians' advance toward the town.

34:8–22

Zedekiah told the people to free their slaves. He wanted to gain favor with God by following the covenant rules about Hebrew slave ownership (Exodus 21:2–4). These rules had been ignored since the time of Moses. However, the order was useless because the people soon broke this new promise. They had also broken their agreement with Nebuchadnezzar (see Ezekiel 21:23–24) and their original covenant with the Lord. The Lord would punish them for their betrayal.

34:15–16

The slaveholders did the right thing by freeing their slaves; they followed God's command. However, they made their promise in the Temple, and when they broke it, they disrespected God's name and showed contempt (breaking the rule in Deuteronomy 5:11).

34:17–20

Because they broke their covenant, the Lord would separate them from his protection. This expression refers to a covenant ceremony where they killed and cut a calf into two parts from head to tail. Those making a covenant walked between the pieces to show they agreed to be cut apart if they broke the covenant (see Genesis 15:9–18). All classes of people in Judah broke their oath, so they would all receive the punishment they agreed to.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources